You are invited to join us over Zoom for a contemplative time of prayer and visual liturgy, as we begin the Lenten journey together. Click HERE to join.

“The Path” by Erin Hanson

Kindred in Christ,

Our faith community has been on a long and fruitful journey of discerning who we are being called to be in the next chapter of ministry in the U District of Seattle. And after many small group discussions, an all church gathering, and a Name Point Team comprised of both long-time members and new folks, we have decided upon a new church name, which will be revealed this Sunday, 2/27 during worship!

But more than a new name, I am excited about our vision of being a relevant church in the U District, of continuing our work for God’s loving justice and inclusion in our city. And I look forward to the ways this name will empower us to minister in new ways to our existing congregants, as well as welcome and bless new people and young families.

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we conclude our series, Kin-dom Vision, and continue to live into the path that God has set before us.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

As you may be aware, last week we began a new series titled Kin-dom Vision, which serves as a type of pledge campaign 2.0. While we are very grateful to all of you that gave this past pledge season of November 2021, after all the pledges were counted, we are still short of funding our missional goals for 2022. We invite you to prayerfully consider pledging at utemple.org/give.

Yet more than a request for financial commitment, our series is really about our vision for our church and the U District. It is about our dreams for ministering to our current members, as well as the new folks we are connecting with. And this week we will reflect on how the vision God stirs up in our hearts in the present is linked to the visions our ancestors and saints received in the past, and the emerging ministry that will bless those in the future. To have kin-dom vision is to have eyes to see our kinship with the past, present, and future, all weaved together in God. I hope you will join us online for worship and in the other ways we show up in the world.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

I hope you will join us for the next three Sundays, February 13-27, for our new sermon series, Kin-dom Vision. Jesus often told provocative short stories to help his listeners and followers imagine a new kind of social reality centered on God’s love, justice, and mercy, which he referred to as the Basileia tou Theou. This phrase has been translated into the “kingdom of God,” “economy of God,” “beloved community,” and, according to mujerista and womanist theologians, the “kin-dom of God,” emphasizing Jesus’ vision of kinship. We will reflect on what this kin-dom vision means for our personal lives and for our church. And to help us do that, we have a special video that will be premiered during this Sunday’s worship about the work we do and how you can join in.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

Have you ever wondered what it means to say “amen”? Many people in church say this word unthinkingly at the end of prayers. It often becomes like a bumper you skip at the end of your favorite podcast or the credits you walk out on when you attend the movies. Yet what if our “amens” were not just an empty ending, but the radical beginning to our commitment to the vision God has placed in our very prayers—visions of God’s justice, peace, and creativity?

Join us this Sunday, as we reflect on the “amens” from the cosmic and diverse worship gathering in Revelation (7:9-12) and conclude our series, Let Us Pray!

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz